A final-year student of Government Day Secondary School, Samaru, Zaria, Kaduna State, 16-year-old Praise Malachi, tragically lost her life to flooding while rushing home to check her SSCE results, which she had been told reflected excellent grades.
Praise, who had been awarded a scholarship by the Centre for Girls Education Zaria for her outstanding academic performance, slipped into a swollen river caused by severe erosion and was swept away by floodwaters on the evening of the incident. Her father, Emmanuel Malachi, recounted, “It was around 6:00 pm after rainfall when my daughter’s friends informed her that her SSCE results were out and she performed excellently. She rushed home to check them, and while crossing the small river, she slipped and was taken by the flood. Her body was recovered the next day in Hunkuyi, Kudan Local Government Area.”
Neighbors, Danladi Mudi and Emma Yashi, highlighted that the area’s chronic erosion problems make it highly prone to flooding, noting that several lives have been lost in similar incidents in the past.
Habiba Mohammed, Director of the Centre for Girls Education, mourned the loss of one of the institution’s brightest students. “Praise was a wonderful child, dedicated and well-behaved. We appeal to relevant authorities to urgently address the erosion issue and construct a bridge to prevent future tragedies,” she said.
The tragic event has sparked calls from residents and educational advocates for urgent intervention to tackle environmental hazards in flood-prone areas of Kaduna State.